An Iowa high school girls' basketball team is facing a fierce backlash online over a poster that some say is racist in its depiction of Native Americans.

The girls' basketball team from Clarke High School, which has adopted 'Indians' as the school nickname, hired a graphic design company to come up with a creative poster that would promote the upcoming 2016-17 season.

The company, Shirk Photography, was instructed to create a concept that would make use of the school moniker.

The end product, however, has instead touched off a lively debate about cultural appropriation.

The poster promoting the Clarke Indians high school girls' basketball team is generating controversy on social media after Native Americans cried foul over racial insensitivity

The poster shows the team's members dressed up in traditional Native American headdress while wearing face paint.

The girls are also seen in the poster doing a 'tribal dance.' There is also a totem pole that is converted into a basketball hoop.

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The image has evoked protest from local Native Americans who want the team to scrap the poster.

'The poster misused symbols representing a Native culture and spirituality in a disrespectful way,' the Iowa Commission on Native American Affairs told local news station KCCI.

Andy Garman, a sports anchor for a local television station, disseminated the poster's image on social media

'This is a young team that probably did not intentionally mean to be disrespectful,' the organization said.

'They may not realize that portraying a racial minority group in a stereotypical manner is not appropriate.'

'We hope that the school and other individuals recognize that this poster reinforces and perpetuates offensive imagery and stereotypes of our culture.'

A Clarke High School student doesn't understand what all the fuss is about

Ben Shirk, the owner and head photographer of Shirk Photography, told Deadspin that it was he who came up with the creative elements of the poster since his mandate from the team was to conceive of a design that incorporated its 'Indians' nickname.

'The school mascots are selected by their honor and basically pride that it brings the school,' Shirk said.

'If I was a Native American—I feel there was no disrespect intended. It was done to be a unique and fun poster.'

Remington Hutton of nearby Saint Charles, Iowa, took to Twitter in defense of the school

The head of the Clarke Community Schools, Steve Seid, said that there was a harmless spirit behind the poster and no offense was intended.

'[The poster is] really out of total respect for not just the community, but the entire state in general with a Native American background,' Seid said. 'No negativity intended at all. Just respecting a rich culture.'

Adalia Joan, a student at Clarke, said the whole affair is much ado about nothing

Some team members pushed back against the criticism.

'The only thing racist about this is [critics] making it racist,' Adalia Joan, a Clarke High student, tweeted. 'Get over yourselves.'

Andy Garman, a sports anchor for KCCI, disseminated the image of the poster through social media.

This did not sit well with some locals.

'Don't take offense to something that literally isn't offensive,' Remington Hutton of nearby Saint Charles, Iowa. 'Quit looking for a reason to be offended.'

Native Americans, however, say that such depictions are disrespectful to their heritage and perpetuate ignorance about the modern realities of their lives.

'As Native Americans we've had so much taken away from us and yet, white people still don't think they've taken enough,' Robyn Haskey, a Native American from Arizona, wrote on Facebook.

'They have to go as far as take the mere image of our culture and interpret it as their own...If you want to be Indian, join us on the reservations to experience the "Indian-ness" you so blatantly possess.'

'If you're Indian, take the time to help all the various tribes and elders struggling in a modern day society. Winter is approaching. Elders need firewood. Elders need properly insulated homes. Elders need financial support. Elders need running water and electricity. I don't want to hear about you representing and respecting my culture through something as trivial as basketball.'

'I want to see you respect my tribe, my culture, my heritage, and my elders by making actual, concrete contributions to my homeland.'